Seating unit convertible into chaise

ABSTRACT

A seating unit includes: a frame configured to rest on an underlying surface, the frame including a fixed seat, the frame further including a chaise storage cavity beneath the seat; a backrest attached to the frame; a chaise unit including a base and a chaise panel; a chaise extending assembly attached to the frame and to the chaise unit, the chaise extending assembly configured to move the chaise between a retracted position, in which the chaise unit is positioned in the chaise storage cavity, and an extended position, in which the chaise unit is positioned forwardly of the seat; and a chaise panel raising mechanism attached to the chaise unit base and to the chaise panel. The mechanism is configured to raise the chaise panel from a lowered position to a raised position, wherein in the raised position the chaise panel is located forwardly of the seat and is declined relative to the underlying surface. This configuration can enable a conventional seating unit to be converted into a chaise complete with a declined chaise panel.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to seating units, and more particularlyto movable seating units.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many homes have multiple seating units, such as chairs and sofas,residing and arranged in a living room or den. With the trend towardincreased use of the living room or den as a recreational, entertainmentand dining space, many consumers desire furniture pieces that providefunction and/or flexibility beyond the conventional seating and supportprovided by conventional furniture. As an example of furniture havingadded flexibility, many manufacturers offer “sectional” sofas, whichenable the user to place multiple sections of a sofa (typically lackingone or both arms) side-by-side to create multiple seating locations. Theconsumer may purchase different numbers of sections in order to create adesired sofa configuration, and the sections can be rearranged by theseller or the consumer to create more sofa configurations. Sectionalsofas may have generally aligned seating locations or may include one ormore corner sections that provide an L-shaped or U-shaped sofa.

One popular feature incorporated into many sectional sofas is a “chaise”section, which includes a backrest and an elongated seat. In manyinstances the seat has sufficient length that an occupant can sit withhis back against the backrest and have his legs supported by the seatwith the legs extended completely. Often a chaise will have one sectionnearest the backrest with some degree of “inclined” pitch (i.e., slopingupwardly from rear to front) to support the occupant's backside andthighs and a second section with “declined” pitch (i.e., slopingdownwardly from rear to front) in the section of the seat farthest fromthe backrest to support the occupant's lower legs.

One potential shortcoming of a typical chaise is that the elongated seatoccupies up space in the living area when the chaise is not in use.Another is that the backrest of a chaise, particularly when part of asectional sofa, will typically conform in style and pitch to theremaining sections of the sofa, which are generally designed forcomfortable conventional sitting rather than for the more leisurelyreclining often done on a chaise. As such, it may be desirable toprovide a seating unit that addresses these issues.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, as a first aspect embodiments of the presentinvention are directed to a seating unit, comprising: a frame configuredto rest on an underlying surface, the frame including a fixed seat, theframe further including a chaise storage cavity beneath the seat; abackrest attached to the frame; a chaise unit including a base and achaise panel; a chaise extending assembly attached to the frame and tothe chaise unit, the chaise extending assembly configured to move thechaise between a retracted position, in which the chaise unit ispositioned in the chaise storage cavity, and an extended position, inwhich the chaise unit is positioned forwardly of the seat; and a chaisepanel raising mechanism attached to the chaise unit base and to thechaise panel. The mechanism is configured to raise the chaise panel froma lowered position to a raised position, wherein in the raised positionthe chaise panel is located forwardly of the seat and is declinedrelative to the underlying surface. This configuration can enable aconventional seating unit to be converted into a chaise complete with adeclined chaise panel.

As a second aspect, embodiments of the present invention are directed toa seating unit, comprising: a frame configured to rest on an underlyingsurface, the frame including a fixed seat, the frame further including achaise storage cavity beneath the seat; a backrest attached to theframe, the backrest being attached to the frame via a recliningmechanism that moves the backrest between upright and reclinedpositions; a chaise unit including a base and a chaise panel; a chaiseextending assembly attached to the frame and to the chaise unit, thechaise extending assembly configured to move the chaise between aretracted position, in which the chaise unit is positioned in the chaisestorage cavity, and an extended position, in which the chaise unit ispositioned forwardly of the seat; and a chaise panel raising mechanismattached to the chaise unit base and to the chaise panel, the mechanismconfigured to raise the chaise panel from a lowered position to a raisedposition, wherein in the raised position the chaise panel is locatedforwardly of the seat. This configuration can convert a conventionalseating unit into a reclining chaise.

As a third aspect, embodiments of the present invention are directed toa seating unit, comprising: a frame configured to rest on an underlyingsurface, the frame including a fixed seat, the frame further including achaise storage cavity beneath the seat; a backrest attached to the framevia a reclining mechanism that moves the backrest between upright andreclined positions; a chaise unit including a base and a chaise panel; achaise extending assembly attached to the frame and to the chaise unit,the chaise extending assembly configured to move the chaise between aretracted position, in which the chaise unit is positioned in the chaisestorage cavity, and an extended position, in which the chaise unit ispositioned forwardly of the seat; and a chaise panel raising mechanismattached to the chaise unit base and to the chaise panel, the mechanismconfigured to raise the chaise panel from a lowered position to a raisedposition, wherein in the raised position the chaise panel is locatedforwardly of the seat and is declined relative to the underlyingsurface. The chaise raising mechanism is configured such that, when thechaise panel is moving from the lowered to the raised position,initially a forward end of the chaise panel is positioned above a rearend of the chaise panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a seating unit of the present invention,with the backrest shown in the upright position and the chaise unitshown in the extended position.

FIG. 2 is a cutaway side view of the seating unit of FIG. 1, with thebackrest shown in the upright position and the chaise unit shown in theretracted position.

FIG. 3 is a cutaway side view of the seating unit of FIG. 1 with thebackrest in a reclined position and the chaise unit shown in theretracted position.

FIG. 4 is a cutaway side view of the seating unit of FIG. 1 with thebackrest in the upright position and the chaise unit shown in theextended position, the chaise panel being in its lowered position.

FIG. 5 is a cutaway side view of the seating unit of FIG. 1 with thebackrest in the upright position and the chaise unit shown in theextended position, the chaise panel being in its raised position.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the seating unit in FIG. 1 in the positionsshown in FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will be described more particularly hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings. The invention is notintended to be limited to the illustrated embodiments; rather, theseembodiments are intended to fully and completely disclose the inventionto those skilled in this art. In the drawings, like numbers refer tolike elements throughout. Thicknesses and dimensions of some componentsmay be exaggerated for clarity. Well-known functions or constructionsmay not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will befurther understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art andwill not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unlessexpressly so defined herein.

In addition, spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”,“lower”, “over”, “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will beunderstood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompassdifferent orientations of the device in use or operation in addition tothe orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device inthe figures is inverted, elements described as “under” or “beneath”other elements or features would then be oriented “over” the otherelements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “under” can encompassboth an orientation of over and under. The device may be otherwiseoriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatiallyrelative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein the expression“and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items.

Where used, the terms “attached”, “connected”, “interconnected”,“contacting”, “coupled”, “mounted” and the like can mean either director indirect attachment or contact between elements, unless statedotherwise.

In addition, some components of the seating units described herein(particularly mechanisms thereof) are illustrated herein as a series ofpivotally interconnected links or members. Those skilled in this artwill appreciate that the pivots between links or other components cantake a variety of configurations, such as pivot pins, rivets, bolt andnut combinations, and the like, any of which may be suitable for usewith the present invention. Also, the shapes and configurations of thelinks themselves may vary, as will be understood by those skilled inthis art. Further, some links may be omitted entirely in someembodiments, and additional links may be included in some embodiments.

Referring now to the drawings, a chair, designated broadly at 10, isillustrated in FIG. 1. The chair 10 includes a frame 12 (best seen inFIGS. 2-6), a seat 22, a backrest 24, and a chaise unit 50. Thesecomponents identified above are described in greater detail below. Forthe sake of clarity, the chair 10 will be described initially withrespect to FIG. 2, in which the backrest 24 is in its upright positionand the chaise unit 50 is in its retracted position; Description of thechair 10 in its other positions will then follow. As used herein todescribe the relative positions of components, the terms “lateral”,“outward” and derivatives thereof indicate the directions defined by avector beginning at a vertical plane P (shown in FIG. 6) that bisectsthe chair 10 normal to the seat 22 and the backrest 24 and extendingnormal thereto. Conversely, the terms “inward”, “inboard” andderivatives thereof indicate the direction opposite the “outward”direction. Together, the “inward” and “outward” directions comprise the“transverse” axis of the chair 10. The “rear” of the chair 10 is locatedat the tip of the backrest 24, and the “front” of the chair 10 islocated at the end of the seat 22 farthest from the backrest 24. The“front” and “rear” directions comprise the “longitudinal” axis of thechair 10.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the frame 12 includes side walls 14 (only oneof which is shown in FIG. 2), a rear panel 18 that spans the rear endsof the side walls 14, and a seat panel 16 that extends between theinboard edges of the side walls 14. In the illustrated embodiment, theseat panel 16 is inclined from front to back; the incline angle α istypically between about 0 and 10 degrees relative to the floor or otherunderlying surface. Arms 20 are attached to the outer surfaces of theside panels 14. A seat ledge 23 spans the side walls 14 in front of theseat panel 22. Thus, the side walls 14, the rear panel 18, the seatpanel 16 and the seat ledge 23 define a chaise cavity 26 with a frontopening 27 within which the chaise unit 50 is stored.

Those skilled in this art will appreciate that the frame 12 can takemany forms and be suitable for use with the present invention. Forexample, the arms 20 may be omitted. Alternatively, the seat ledge 23may be omitted or simply be an extension of the seat panel 22. Otheralternatives will be recognized by those skilled in this art.

Referring again to FIG. 2 and to FIG. 6, a reclining mechanism 30interconnects the frame 12 and the backrest 24. The reclining mechanism30 includes two mounting brackets 32 that are fixed to the innersurfaces of the side wall 14, two pivot links 34, and a gas cylinder 36.Each pivot link 34 is pivotally attached to the forward end of one ofthe mounting brackets 32 at a pivot 38 and extends upwardly andrearwardly therefrom to a fixed mounting location to a backrest panel 28of the backrest 24. A bridging member 35 a extends between the upperends of the pivot links 34, and a second bridging member 35 b extendsbetween the rear ends of the mounting brackets 32. The gas cylinder 36,which includes a retractable rod 37, is pivotally interconnected withthe bridging member 35 b at a pivot 40 located at a flange 35 c. The rod37, which is in an extended condition in FIG. 2, is pivotally attachedwith the bridging member 35 a at a pivot 42 located on a flange 35 d. Inthis embodiment, the gas cylinder 36 is a locking-type of gas cylinderthat enables the rod 37 to ceases movement in any position as itretracts; an exemplary locking gas cylinder is the BLOC-O-LIFT Model No.732125, available from Stabilus GmbH, Charlotte, N.C.

To move the chair 10 from the upright position of FIGS. 1 and 2 to thereclined position of FIG. 3, an occupant of the chair 10 applies arearwardly-directed force onto the backrest 24 (typically this force isgenerated by the occupant pressing forward on the arms 20 to press hisback into the backrest 24). This force causes the backrest 24, and inturn the pivot link 34, to rotate about the pivot 38. Rotation isresisted by the gas cylinder 36, which resists retraction of the rod 37within the cylinder 36. Although the occupant can cease movement of thebackrest 24 in any desired position, movement ceases entirely when theretraction of the rod 37 into the cylinder 36 is complete (FIG. 3). Inthis position, the backrest 24 is typically inclined relative to thefloor at an angle of between about 25 and 40 degrees.

Those skilled in this art will appreciate that other configurations forreclining mechanism may also be employed. For example, a recliningmechanism such as that disclosed in co-assigned U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/156,187 that controls the reclining movement of the backrestand the seat may also be used. In addition, a reclining mechanism thatdoes not allow the user to cease reclining movement in any selectedposition may also be used. Moreover, some seating units may omit thereclining mechanism entirely. Other variations will also be recognizedby those skilled in this art.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 2, the chaise unit 50 includes a base 51having a transversely-extending front wall 52, side members 54 thatextend rearwardly from the front wall 52, and a rear member 56 thatspans the rear ends of the side members 54. In the retracted positionillustrated in FIG. 2, the front wall 52 is beneath the front edge ofthe seat ledge 23 and serves as the front panel of the chair 10.

Referring once again to FIG. 2, a chaise extender assembly 61 includesfront wheels 58 are attached to the inner surfaces of the side members54 via brackets 59, and rear wheels 60 are attached to the outersurfaces of the side members 54 via brackets 63. The front wheels 58 arepositioned to rest and roll on the floor; however, the rear wheels 60are positioned slightly higher to be received in respective rails 62mounted on the inner surfaces of the side walls 14 of the frame 12. Aroller 64 is mounted on each side wall 14 just forwardly of acorresponding rail 62 and is positioned to bear against the outersurface of the adjacent side member 54 of the chaise base 51. Also, aretaining pin 65 is mounted to the side wall 14 at the front end of therail 65 and extends inwardly therefrom.

The chaise unit 50 can be moved from the retracted position of FIG. 2 tothe extended position of FIG. 4 by applying a forwardly-directed forceto the front wall 52 of the chaise unit 50. Such a force will cause thebase 51 to roll forwardly on the front wheels 58 (which roll on thefloor) and the rear wheels 60 (which roll on the rails 62). This motionis augmented by the action of the rollers 64 on the outer surfaces ofthe side members 54. Forward movement ceases when the rear wheels 60strike retaining pins 65.

Those skilled in this art will recognize that the chaise extendingassembly may take other forms. For example, the rear wheels may rest onthe ground rather than on the rails 62. The wheels may be replaced withsliding surfaces, or the assembly may comprise a pivoting or telescopingmechanism of some variety. Other variations may be apparent to thoseskilled in this art and need not be described in detail herein.

Referring once more to FIG. 2 and to FIG. 6, a chaise panel 66 isinterconnected with the base 51 via a pair of mirror image chaise panelmechanisms 70, only one of which will be described herein. The chaisepanel mechanism 70 includes a horizontally disposed mounting member 72that is mounted to the inner surface of the side member 54. A rearcontrol link 74 is pivotally interconnected with the mounting member 72at a pivot 75 and extends downwardly and slightly forwardly therefrom. Afront control link 76 is also pivotally interconnected with the mountingmember 72 at a pivot 77 (located in front of the pivot 75) and extendsdownwardly and rearwardly therefrom. A rear swing link 78 is attached atone end to the front control link 76 at a pivot 79. The rear swing link78 extends downwardly and rearwardly to attach to the rear control link74 at a pivot 81, then upwardly and rearwardly to attach at a pivot 85to a chaise support 82 (which supports the chaise panel 66 fromunderneath). A horizontally disposed front swing link 80 is pivotallyattached to the front end of the mounting member 72 at a pivot 83, andextends rearwardly to attach via a pivot 84 to the chaise support 82.The chaise panel 66 is fixed to the upper portion of the chaise support82 and, in its lowered position in FIG. 2, is substantially horizontallydisposed.

Once the chaise unit 50 is in the extended position, the chaise panel 66can be elevated from the lowered position shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 tothe raised position shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. This movement is initiatedby the occupant lifting the front end of the chaise panel 66. Thisaction causes the front swing link 80 to rotate counterclockwise (fromthe vantage point of FIG. 4) about the pivot 83. This action draws thechaise support 82 forwardly and raises its forward end, such that thechaise panel 66 is inclined from rear to front. Also, as the chaisepanel 66 rises, the rear swing link 78 moves forwardly and drives thefront and rear control links 76, 74 clockwise about the pivots 77, 75respectively. Once the pivots 77, 81 and 75 reach an “on-center”condition, continued ascension of the chaise panel 66 causes the frontcontrol link 76 to reverse its rotative direction and begin to rotatecounterclockwise about the pivot 77. As the chaise panel 66 continues torise, continued clockwise rotation of the rear control link 74 permitsthe rear end of the chaise support 82, and in turn the chaise panel 66,to move upwardly. Eventually, the front edge of the chaise panel 66rises to a point above the upper edge of the front wall 52 of the chaiseunit 50 prior moving directly over the front wall 52. When the frontcontrol link 76 and the rear control link 74 have rotated sufficientlythat the pivots 77, 79 and 81 are in an over-center condition, the frontcontrol link 77 continues its counterclockwise rotation, which actionlowers the front end of the chaise panel 66 toward the upper edge of thefront wall 52 of the chaise unit 50. Action ceases when the lowersurface of the chaise panel 66 contacts and rests against the upper edgeof the front wall 52 of the chaise unit 50.

In the raised position, the chaise panel 66 is declined with respect tothe floor. Typically, the angle of decline β is between about 0 and 15degrees, although in some embodiments the chaise panel 66 may not bedeclined in the raised position. Particularly when combined with aninclined seat, the chaise panel 66 can provide a comfortable supportsurface for an occupant of the chair 10.

Those skilled in this art will appreciate that the chaise raisingmechanism may take different forms. The links may be shaped differentlyand the pivot locations moved. More or fewer links may be included.Other mechanisms that cause the chaise panel to rise, includingpneumatic or electrically powered devices, may also be employed with thepresent invention.

Those skilled in this art will appreciate that, although a chair isshown herein, seating units of the present invention may include sofas,love seats, sectional sofas and the like.

The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to beconstrued as limiting thereof. Although exemplary embodiments of thisinvention have been described, those skilled in the art will readilyappreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplaryembodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings andadvantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications areintended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined inthe claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, withequivalents of the claims to be included therein.

1. A seating unit, comprising: a frame configured to rest on anunderlying surface, the frame including a fixed seat, the frame furtherincluding a chaise storage cavity beneath the seat; a backrest attachedto the frame; a chaise unit including a base and a chaise panel; achaise extending assembly attached to the frame and to the chaise unit,the chaise extending assembly configured to move the chaise between aretracted position, in which the chaise unit is positioned in the chaisestorage cavity, and an extended position, in which the chaise unit ispositioned forwardly of the seat; and a chaise panel raising mechanismattached to the chaise unit base and to the chaise panel, the mechanismconfigured to raise the chaise panel from a lowered position to a raisedposition, wherein in the raised position the chaise panel is locatedforwardly of the seat and is declined relative to the underlyingsurface.
 2. The seating unit defined in claim 1, wherein the backrest isattached to the frame via a reclining mechanism that moves the backrestbetween upright and reclined positions.
 3. The seating unit defined inclaim 1, wherein the seat is inclined relative to the underlyingsurface.
 4. The seating unit defined in claim 1, wherein the chaise unitincludes wheels, and wherein the chaise extending assembly is configuredsuch that the chaise unit rolls when moving between the retracted andextended positions.
 5. The seating unit defined in claim 4, wherein thechaise extending assembly includes rails fixed to the frame that engagethe wheels from the chaise unit.
 6. The seating unit defined in claim 1,wherein the chaise unit base includes a front wall, and wherein thechaise panel rests on an upper edge of the front wall when the chaisepanel is in the raised position.
 7. The seating unit defined in claim 1,wherein the chaise raising mechanism is configured such that, when thechaise panel is moving from the lowered to the raised position,initially a forward end of the chaise panel is positioned above a rearend of the chaise panel.
 8. The seating unit defined in claim 7, whereinthe chaise raising mechanism includes front and rear control linkspivotally interconnected with the chaise base, and wherein the frontcontrol link first rotates in a first rotative direction, then in asecond opposite rotative direction, then again in the first rotativedirection as the chaise panel moves from the lowered to the raisedposition.
 9. A seating unit, comprising: a frame configured to rest onan underlying surface, the frame including a fixed seat, the framefurther including a chaise storage cavity beneath the seat; a backrestattached to the frame, the backrest being attached to the frame via areclining mechanism that moves the backrest between upright and reclinedpositions; a chaise unit including a base and a chaise panel; a chaiseextending assembly attached to the frame and to the chaise unit, thechaise extending assembly configured to move the chaise between aretracted position, in which the chaise unit is positioned in the chaisestorage cavity, and an extended position, in which the chaise unit ispositioned forwardly of the seat; and a chaise panel raising mechanismattached to the chaise unit base and to the chaise panel, the mechanismconfigured to raise the chaise panel from a lowered position to a raisedposition, wherein in the raised position the chaise panel is locatedforwardly of the seat.
 10. The seating unit defined in claim 9, whereinthe seat is inclined relative to the underlying surface.
 11. The seatingunit defined in claim 10, wherein, when the chaise panel is in theraised position, the chaise panel is declined relative to the underlyingsurface.
 12. The seating unit defined in claim 9, wherein the chaiseunit includes wheels, and wherein the chaise extending assembly isconfigured such that the chaise unit rolls when moving between theretracted and extended positions.
 13. The seating unit defined in claim12, wherein the chaise extending assembly includes rails fixed to theframe that engage the wheels from the chaise unit.
 14. The seating unitdefined in claim 9, wherein the chaise unit base includes a front wall,and wherein the chaise panel rests on an upper edge of the front wallwhen the chaise panel is in the raised position.
 15. The seating unitdefined in claim 9, wherein the chaise raising mechanism is configuredsuch that, when the chaise panel is moving from the lowered to theraised position, initially a forward end of the chaise panel ispositioned above a rear end of the chaise panel.
 16. The seating unitdefined in claim 15, wherein the chaise raising mechanism includes frontand rear control links pivotally interconnected with the chaise base,and wherein the front control link first rotates in a first rotativedirection, then in a second opposite rotative direction, then again inthe first rotative direction as the chaise panel moves from the loweredto the raised position.
 17. A seating unit, comprising: a frameconfigured to rest on an underlying surface, the frame including a fixedseat, the frame further including a chaise storage cavity beneath theseat; a backrest attached to the frame via a reclining mechanism thatmoves the backrest between upright and reclined positions; a chaise unitincluding a base and a chaise panel; a chaise extending assemblyattached to the frame and to the chaise unit, the chaise extendingassembly configured to move the chaise between a retracted position, inwhich the chaise unit is positioned in the chaise storage cavity, and anextended position, in which the chaise unit is positioned forwardly ofthe seat; and a chaise panel raising mechanism attached to the chaiseunit base and to the chaise panel, the mechanism configured to raise thechaise panel from a lowered position to a raised position, wherein inthe raised position the chaise panel is located forwardly of the seatand is declined relative to the underlying surface; wherein the chaiseraising mechanism is configured such that, when the chaise panel ismoving from the lowered to the raised position, initially a forward endof the chaise panel is positioned above a rear end of the chaise panel.18. The seating unit defined in claim 17, wherein the seat is inclinedrelative to the underlying surface.
 19. The seating unit defined inclaim 17, wherein the chaise raising mechanism is configured such that,when the chaise panel is moving from the lowered to the raised position,initially a forward end of the chaise panel is positioned above a rearend of the chaise panel.
 20. The seating unit defined in claim 19,wherein the chaise raising mechanism includes front and rear controllinks pivotally interconnected with the chaise base, and wherein thefront control link first rotates in a first rotative direction, then ina second opposite rotative direction, then again in the first rotativedirection as the chaise panel moves from the lowered to the raisedposition.